Vipassana is a beautiful path of self-discovery. We have been taught an exquisite technique that allows us to discover truth within ourselves. In my experience, my daily practice brings me tidbits of truth every so often. These tidbits need to be integrated into my previous understanding of life. This is a continuous process requiring me …
2 Hour Requirement
At the end of every 10 day course, SN Goenka tells people they should make a strong determination to sit for 2 hours every day for one year. While I'm committed to sitting 2 hours every day, I'm not sure I like the consequence of this challenge. What if someone is unsuccessful with this strict …
The Right Rate of Change
I've often felt that the growth I observe in myself from my practice is too slow. I'm investing 2 hours a day in this practice, and sometimes it seems that my growth is at a snails pace. When I look out into the world, it seems that we're in for some troubled times ahead, and …
Why is Vipassana Cool?
I'm about to serve on my first Children's Course. I worked with kids for several years, but that was over 6 years ago. Now I'll be engaging kids in a dhamma environment for the first time. I know that one of the secrets to keeping kids out of trouble is to keep them busy, but how can …
Growth is not Exciting
A strange realization with my practice is that growth is not exciting. All of my life, and probably all of yours, I've been taught to get excited and to celebrate growth or progress. When I graduated or got a new job or reach some other milestone I would have a party and celebrate. As I …
The Rational Religion
While I've pulled back from the belief that everyone should meditate, as I now feel that it's a practice that resonates with certain people at certain times, I do feel that Vipassana can address a current void in our society. Over the last 60 years people have been leaving the church in ever increasing numbers. …
Good Grief
I remember waking up to problems bigger than myself. I remember things feeling so hard to change but, nonetheless, believing they could. And I thought, as I was taught, that my duty was to help create that change. I felt frequent anger at who I perceived to be the cause of destruction and injustice and …
Personal Solutions
I learned long ago that in order to grow, I needed to experience things for myself. I relearned this wisdom while playing the role of teacher or a mentor. I could explain something until I was blue in the face, but my students would always return to old habit patterns. If I created a situation …
The Root of Societies Problems
Yeah, I was one of those kids that wanted to save the world. I've gone through many iterations of deconstructing and reconstructing this thought, and I'm wondering if it's time to deconstruct it again. I've grown to realize that I'm just one person among billions, that the idea of saving the world is full of …
Addiction
The conditioned mind keeps on returning to the same place, time and again without knowing either the route of the journey or the purpose of it. The mind is addicted to reach a certain box of known feelings covered by the comfort of knowingness. From substance addiction to the pornography, does the mind know what …
Living Vipassana 